The history of Spain as a whole and Valencia has been represented in the American entertainment industry through the adaptation of the movie “El Cid.” While it is known that Hollywood often employs some level of artistic freedom in their creations, the history of Spain runs much deeper than a single historical figure whose accomplishments were embellished. The paper below details a comparison between the Spanish and American representations of El Cid.
For example, Valencia also has a rich Roman history that is still honored with the Tribunal de Las Aguas where representatives from each district choose how to manage and distribute the limited amount of water available in the irrigation systems.
Without having traveled to Spain, I would have never realized the history of this gorgeous country was preserved from as early as the Roman Empire. The class showed me how learning the history of a nation, fully and with as much truth value as possible, can change my view of how we as Americans record and teach history.